First we had Stars In Their Eyes, then there was Star For A Night and now wannabe pop singers around the country are being given the chance of finding fame and fortune by singing down the telephone.

First we had Stars In Their Eyes, then there was Star For A Night and now wannabe pop singers around the country are being given the chance of finding fame and fortune by singing down the telephone.

This Is My Moment, on ITV, beginning Wednesday July 25, is a modern day Opportunity Knocks-style show and is being hosted by one of the original pop wannabes Spice Girl Mel B.

She is stepping in as host after pilot show presenter Ian Wright defected to the other side to take over presenting Friends Like These.

And the 26-year-old star reveals she might have easily been one of the people calling up to get a lucky break if the show had been transmitted in her pre-Spice Girl days.

"I'd have been the first one to call on the phone," she admits. "Doing the show appealed to me because you will have a mixed race person presenting a prime time television show which gives people a chance to step in the spotlight and perform.

"I'm really looking forward to the show starting. It is a chance for normal people to show what they can do on live television."

Each week a panel of judges will listen to all the people who call the show. from these they will select just 50 to audition live in Manchester.

They will join Mel and face the selection panel as every moment is captured on camera. From this stage only five survive to perform on the live show. The winner will be decided by a viewers vote.

The weekly winner not only gets television exposure but a share of the telephone call profits - which are generated by the premium rate telephone lines.

Although This Is My Moment is something of a departure for Mel, she points out that this is not her first venture into television - and it will not be her last either.

"I did have my own show Pure Naughty on BBC2 a couple of years ago but it was much more low-key than this show," she says.

"I'm also making a Channel 4 documentary on African spiritualism. In fact, for the rest of the year I'm concentrating on television."

She stresses that just because all the Spice Girls are currently working on solo projects it does not mean the end for the group which has dominated pop charts around the world.

"We will do some more stuff at some point, we are just busy doing our own projects at the moment," she says.

Mel B's solo musical career got off to a flying start when her debut solo single I Want You Back hit No 1 in September 1998, but the follow-up, a remake of Cameo's Word Up, peaked at a disappointing number 14.

Even worse her last single Lullaby only managed to reach the Top 15 while sales of her debut album Hot have also not been spectacular.

"I'll be making a second album next year, " she predicts. "I'd also like to start studying acting some time next year."

Since bursting on to the scene in June 1996, with their first number one single Wannabe, the Spice Girls - Ginger Spice (Geri Halliwell), Sporty Spice (Melanie Chisholm), Scary Spice (Mel B), Baby Spice (Emma Bunton) and Posh (Victoria Beckham), have turned into a global music phenomenon.

Their first two albums, 1996's Spice and 1997's SpiceWorld, sold more than 30 million copies around the world. But last year's Forever did not match the sales of its two predecessors with only one single the double A-sided Holler/Let Love Lead The Way being released.

In recent times it seems to be Mel's personal life that has been making the headlines rather than her musical offerings. But it appears that she could be entering a calmer period after riding an emotional roller coaster for the past couple of years.

in 1999 she had a lavish wedding to dancer Jimmy Gulzar with whom she has a daughter, two-year-old Phoenix Chi. But the marriage soon ended in a very public and messy split.

Then there were rumours that Mel had become so strapped for cash that she was having to put her #3.5 home in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, up for sale. Although the singer, who still lives in the mansion, has always denied these claims.

Things started to look up for her on the personal front 18 months ago when she started seeing actor Max Beesley.

She says: "We became friends when we met four years ago but nothing really happened until last year. We are very happy together."

Although work commitments mean the couple have had to frequently spend time apart, she says they have a pact to always meet up every couple of weeks.

Despite all this upheaval in her life, Mel still finds it easy to count her blessings. She says: "I know I've very lucky. I'm healthy, I have a beautiful daughter and great friends. Now I'm trying something different as part of my career. I have a lot to be thankful for."

:: To take part in This Is My Moment call 0906 200 2000. Calls cost #1 a minute and last for two minutes.